Exclusive interview with Gov. Cooper on veto of bill addressing GenX

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — A bill addressing concerns about GenX is getting a veto from the governor.

GenX and clean drinking water are concerns that have been circulating in the Cape Fear among residents, homeowners, parents, and politicians since June.

“These emerging chemical compounds are not only a problem in North Carolina, but across the country,” Governor Roy Cooper said.

In response to GenX, Republican lawmakers included GenX in House Bill 56 allocating $435,000 to UNCW and CFPUA to test the water for GenX and test its impact on the public’s health, but Gov. Cooper was not impressed. That is why he announced plans to veto the bill this morning. 

“Zero money to the agencies that really matter,” Cooper said.

Cooper said the department of environmental quality and the department of health and human services requested $2.6 million for experts to address the genx problem.

“They need more help to do the job right to protect our waterways, not legislation that gives them zero funding attached to a bad environmental bill,” Cooper said. “That shows me that they’re not serious and that concerns me.”

Republicans have their own concerns.

“I am troubled the the governor would place politics ahead of public safety, and prioritize bureaucracy over results,” Sen. Michael Lee said in a statement. “He is now on record for rejecting the only proposal that will actually help clean our drinking water in the lower Cape Fear region.”

Cooper said he hopes GenX does not become a partisan issue.

“I need to send a strong veto back to say we all need to get serious about this,” Cooper said. “We need to sit down and talk. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a place for political posturing or hollow solutions. It’s a place where we have to come together to make sure the water is protected in Wilmington and across North Carolina.”

Cooper said all he wants is a bill that gives money to state agencies.

“It wouldn’t take but a couple of sentences,” Cooper said.

Senator Lee said the General Assembly will reconvene on october 4 and he says an overide on the governor’s veto is a possibility.